High Five Fridays: Weekly Meal Plan, Comfort and Joyfeatured

Happy High Five Friday, friends! Sending you hugs and ho ho hos this weekend, whether you’re heading home for the holidays or plan on cozying up with some good movies. I, for one, will be queuing up Love Actually, Elf, and the greatest movie that ever was, The Sound of Music. Wishing you all, Comfort & Joy 🙂

1. Ad Hoc’s Leek Bread Pudding. A friend made this savory bread pudding for his Friendsgiving feast this year and it was ridiculous. We’re talking uber indulgent, uber delicious. Crispy and brown on top, rich and custardy inside, and aside from the generous amounts of gruyere, heavy cream, and whole milk in this, it is made with BRIOCHE. I mean, if you can’t indulge now, when can you?
2. Rosemary Scented Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter. Homemade pumpkin ravioli may be a bit labor intensive, but this labor of love will not go unappreciated by whoever is lucky enough to eat them. P.S. Brown butter FTW.
3. Pancetta Mac and Cheese. A post themed Comfort & Joy would not be complete with this ooey, gooey, creamy, saucy, ultimate mac and cheese. Plus, special touches like pancetta bits and pretty herb-flecked panko crust make it worthy of gracing your holiday table.
4. Blood Orange Salad with Olives. This beautiful composed salad is just the thing to bring some fresh vibrance to the mix. Can’t find blood oranges? Use regular oranges and throw in a grapefruit for a burst of tartness and color.
5. TREAT YO SELF: Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie. Warm pecan pie is a bit of a tradition on Christmas Eve at my house, and I love this modern take on it. After all, chocolate does make everything better.